Page 3 - Social Media Apps

Goa may impose Australia-style social media ban for children under 16

Goa is studying Australia's law restricting social media access for children under 16, after parents have raised concerns about online distractions and the impact on students' learning

French lawmakers pass bill banning under-15s from accessing social media

The ban targets popular social media apps including Meta Platforms Inc.'s Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok and Snap Inc.'s Snapchat

Pakistani human rights lawyers jailed for 17 years over social media posts

A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced two human rights lawyers to 17 years in prison each over social media posts the authorities claimed were hostile to the state and its security institutions. Judge Afzal Majoka announced the verdict a day after Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested in Islamabad, according to court documents. The couple appeared briefly via video link but boycotted the hearing, prompting the court to conclude the trial and deliver the verdict. Family and friends denounced the ruling. The couple denied all the changes. The court verdict said Mazari had posted multiple tweets in recent years that "portrayed the agenda" of the outlawed Baloch separatist group and Pakistani Taliban. The case stems from a complaint filed in August 2025 with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, alleging the couple used social media to malign the state and its security institutions. They were formally indicted last October and had repeatedly refused to

Meta temporarily blocks teen access to AI characters ahead of LA trial

Meta is halting teens' access to artificial intelligence characters, at least temporarily, the company said in a blog post Friday. Meta Platforms Inc, which own Instagram and WhatsApp, said that starting in the "coming weeks," teens will no longer be able to access AI characters "until the updated experience is ready" This applies to anyone who gave Meta a birthday that makes them a minor, as well as "people who claim to be adults but who we suspect are teens based on our age prediction technology." The move comes the week before Meta - along with TikTok and Google's YouTube - is scheduled to stand trial in Los Angeles over its apps' harms to children. Teens will still be able to access Meta's AI assistant, just not the characters. Other companies have also banned teens from AI chatbots amid growing concerns about the effects of artificial intelligence conversations on children. Character.AI announced its ban last fall. That company is facing several lawsuits over child safety, .

Meta's Threads set to show ads to users worldwide from next week: Details

Meta is bringing ads to Threads for users worldwide, with ads rolling out slowly across feeds as the platform expands its advertising model

Andhra Pradesh studies Australia-like social media ban for U-16 children

The exposure of children to social media in India has increased rapidly due to cheaper smartphones and wider internet access, including in rural areas

UK govt mulls under-16 social media ban, app curbs to cut screen time

The UK may follow Australia in banning under-16s from social media as ministers seek public views on curbing screen time and harmful online features for children

WhatsApp explores 'Status' privacy shortcut: What is it, how it works, more

WhatsApp is testing a shortcut to access privacy settings related to its Status feature that will let users check who an update was shared with and whether it can be reshared after posting

Soon, you can customise WhatsApp profile with Facebook-like cover photo

Reportedly, WhatsApp is testing a new feature that may soon allow iOS users to add cover photos to their profiles, offering more profile customisation beyond just a profile picture

Instagram denies data leak following password reset email complaints

Instagram said accounts are safe after many users received unexpected password reset emails, following reports that raised concerns about a possible data leak

Vivek Ramaswamy steps away from social media amid Ohio race: Here's why

Vivek Ramaswamy argued that social media creates a distorted picture of reality that also affects modern governance

Elon Musk warns Grok users creating illegal content will face consequences

Microblogging site X owner Elon Musk on Saturday said people using the platform's AI services Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content. The statement from Musk comes a day after Ministry of Electronics and IT directed X to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially generated by AI app Grok, or face action under the law. "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," Musk said on X in response to a post on "inappropriate images". The post said, "Some people are saying Grok is creating inappropriate images. But that's like blaming a pen for writing something bad. A pen doesn't decide what gets written. The person holding it does. Grok works the same way. What you get depends a lot on what you put in. Think about it!." Meity has directed X to take action against offending content, users and accounts. The ministry has directed the US-bas

France may follow Australia in banning social media for children under 15

The proposal follows a French parliamentary investigation that found platforms were deliberately exposing minors to harmful content, prompting calls for stricter online safeguards

User-generated content has no direct impact on brand engagement: Study

User-generated social media content quality does not show a direct influence on engagement for brands, a new study by the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) has pointed out. The study conducted in collaboration with the Goa University, Taleigao, has addressed a key gap in marketing literature by examining how social media content quality and source credibility from brands and firms and users translate into brand equity and online engagement. The research published in the prestigious "Journal of Promotion Management", provides insights on "which type of content, Firm-Generated Content (FGC) or User-Generated Content (UGC), actually drives brand engagement and builds brand equity". According to officials, various research on related topics has been conducted in the past but has provided contradictory findings, making it unclear for real-world scenarios whether social media investment generates measurable brand outcomes or not. "The study attempts to bring clarity to this ongoing debat

Bring law to regulate internet use by children: Madurai HC tells Centre

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has observed that the Centre could consider framing a legislation to regulate the use of internet by kids, similar to a law in Australia. Until such a legislation is in place, the state and national commission for protection of child rights could draft an action plan to create awareness among children on child rights and safe use of the internet, the court said. The framework suggested by the court aims at restricting children below 16 years from having social media accounts, amidst apprehensions over the minors' exposure to harmful online content. A division bench comprising Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan made the remarks recently after counsel K P S Palanivel Rajan, representing the petitioner S Vijayakumar, cited a new Australian law which banned social media usage by children under 16, and said India could consider introducing similar legislation. Vijayakumar had filed the public interest litigation praying for a directio

Snapchat rolls out 'Quick Cut' to speed up video creation from Memories

Snapchat launches Quick Cut, a new tool that turns Memories into beat-synced videos in seconds, making video creation directly within the app

Meta moves to single age-check system as global child safety rules tighten

Meta aims to roll out one age-check system for Facebook and Instagram as global child safety laws grow and pressure on tech firms increases

Instagram comes to big-screen, will let you binge Reels on Amazon fire TV

Instagram for TV supports up to five accounts, personalised feeds and channel-based Reels, turning short videos into big-screen viewing experience at home

Threads expands communities to 200+ topics, tests badges for active users

Meta's Threads expands its communities feature to over 200 topics and tests flairs and badges to encourage more focused discussions and reward active members on the platform

Why big tech bosses are keeping their kids off social media platforms

From YouTube CEO Neal Mohan to Bill Gates, top tech leaders are limiting their children's screen time as studies link social media to teen anxiety and governments move towards age bans